


and i'll be here to hold your hand

by milkbottle



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prince and Knight, Archery, Assassination Attempt(s), Bodyguard, M/M, and tsukki is a knight, kags is the prince, there will be lots more characters as the fic updates!! andddd ships, yachi's mom aka madoka is the king
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 08:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5241179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkbottle/pseuds/milkbottle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Kingdom of Karasuno has been in a state of unrest since the attempt on the life of their Prince, Kageyama Tobio. Since his coronation one year prior, many have protested his rule -- airheaded, tactless, and lacking the necessary knowledge, he seems to be the least suited for the position.</p><p>Amongst the chaos, one thing has become clear: his Highness is in dire need of a helping hand. Enter the reluctant knight, Tsukishima Kei.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i. the prince and the knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima is given the news: he's been promoted as personal bodyguard to Prince Kageyama Tobio.
> 
> Maybe he should quit now.

Approximately six months ago, Tsukishima Kei officially completed his training to become a knight for the Royal Army in the Kingdom of Karasuno. It had taken an entire half a year or so previously to train to gain the legitimate title of knight -- and even with such a title, he was only slightly better than average. It’s not like Tsukishima really liked to give an effort or to genuinely try, but Yamaguchi insisted that he do his best – and while it wasn’t quite his best, it would do.

Knighthood and all of the glory that came with it was okay, he guessed. He only really gave somewhat of an effort due to his parents’ expectations of him pursuing his older brother’s footsteps. While Tsukishima hadn’t been entirely fond of the idea, it wasn’t like he was against it. He had always admired Akiteru’s swordsmanship as a child, bothering him to learn all he could during training. That was when he still had all of the childlike innocence all kids are born with – but now, he knew better.

However, it seemed that Tsukishima had overshot on his goal. Not only was he a knight, now; he was promoted just a week ago to the esteemed Royal Guard. He hadn’t yet been given his assignment since the promotion, but Tsukishima had a terribly sneaking suspicion that it was related to the most recent attempt to take the Prince’s life.

It wasn't like Tsukishima would really care if the Prince had been assassinated. He didn’t particularly care for the simple-minded man – he was far too straightforward and focused solely on his archery. But as much as Tsukishima hated to admit it, the competition for the new heir had shown Kageyama Tobio to be what many would consider a “genius” with his superior accuracy and efficient handling of the bow and arrow. Tsukishima disliked such a concept, but it wasn't as if he could rebel against the King’s word; it most certainly wasn’t worth it.

“Tsukishima.”

The Captain of the Royal Guard as well as Karasuno’s army appeared before him, startling Tsukishima out of his musings. “Yes, sir?”

“I have news for you,” Captain Ennoshita handed him a scroll of parchment, and Tsukishima hesitantly accepted it, unrolling the paper. “You’ve been assigned as the personal bodyguard to the Prince, Kageyama Tobio.”

Tsukishima’s stomach lurched. His hypothesis had proven to be correct, and he didn’t feel very good about it. After scanning the stylized print, his eyes flickered back up to the Captain. “…Yes, sir.”

Ennoshita offered him a sympathetic smile. “As difficult as he seems, the Prince is a good kid.”

That wasn’t the entire problem, but Tsukishima nodded anyways. Why was he chosen out of the entire Royal Guard? Wouldn’t Tanaka or Nishinoya be a better choice? Even Narita and Kinoshita would be better. They had been a part of the Guard for a lot longer period of time, and they were much more confident in their skills. A sense of doubt curled at the bottom of his stomach.

“You’re to meet him now in the courtroom,” continued Ennoshita, observing the fleeting thoughts across Tsukishima’s expression, but saying nothing.

“Understood. Thank you.” Tsukishima bowed his head briefly as a demonstration of respect towards his superior, and departed. The corridor he was currently in would lead to the necessary destination in only a couple of minutes, but each step felt as if his feet were weighed down with lead. This was an enormous responsibility, one that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to handle for only being a knight for a mere six months. This was ridiculous.

It wasn’t as if Tsukishima was one to brag about being right in one of his many perceptions, but as he opened the grand doors to the courtroom, he couldn’t help but dryly think to himself, _told you so_.

 

* * *

 

With the thought of food on his mind, the Prince was starting to drift off. It was almost noonday, and around this time he was used to having his meal. But the past week hadn’t been usual for him. Ever since the attempt on his life, he hadn’t been allowed outside the confines of the castle walls, and it was starting to mess with his head. Archery was on his mind more than usual, and that was saying something. It felt strange not to have a quiver across his back and a bow at his side. He didn’t like it.

“Kageyama.”

The King spoke his name, snapping him out of his daze. A woman in her 50s, she was decades his senior, and stood with much more grace and refinement than he could ever pretend to have. She kept her kingdom well in order.

“Yes?”

“Were you paying attention?” She asked. He realized then that she’d been talking, and he wasn’t.

“Yes,” he lied. She frowned, seeing right through it.

“This is an important day for you, you know. You should be making a good first impression,” she chided. “The bond between nobility and their protector must be close.”

He eyed her own bodyguard, a man about her age, standing silently at the door along with a couple of knights. He looked bored. “You barely talk with yours, though,” he pointed out. She gave him a look that he’d become familiar with over the past year - when she turned up her nose and narrowed her eyes, it meant that he’d screwed up. It happened a lot.

“...Was that disrespectful?” He ventured.

“Yes.” The King pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Because there have been no attempts on _my_ life as of late,” she said, emphasizing the last part with a pointed look, “We haven’t felt the need to be closely acquainted. But in your case… it’s obvious that supervision is highly necessary. Your guard will be at your side for all activities until it’s deemed safe for you to be in private.”

Kageyama grimaced. The thought of being that restricted made him uncomfortable. It was a part of becoming nobility he didn’t like; people monitoring what he did and where he went, eyes always on him. He was never good at talking to people, or understanding what they thought - how was he going to manage being around another person nearly all the time? It made him feel uneasy. He wanted to go out to the target grounds and practice to clear his head, but knew he’d have to wait for permission. It was a pain. He shifted awkwardly, unhappy with staying in one place.

Noticing his demeanor, the King softened, but only a bit. “It won’t last forever,” she reassured him. “Besides, you’re going to need someone to accompany you outside of the kingdom. And personally, I think this will help you. You should have more than Hitoka to keep you company.”

“I understand,” he said, even though he didn’t. The King smiled. She opened her mouth to say more, but the doors opening to the courtroom caught both of their attention instead.

“Oh! There he is.” She turned to face the newcomer, and Kageyama followed. In the back of his mind, he knew that he’d been told the knight’s name before, but he didn’t remember it. Well, he’d find out in a second anyway. Maybe if they got this done quickly, he’d have time to eat.

 

* * *

 

As soon as he stepped through the door, Tsukishima felt regret. The uniform he currently adorned was now of the Royal Guard and it felt strangely out of place on him, despite Yamaguchi's insistence it was a good look for the blonde. Most things that Yamaguchi said were hard to believe because they were encouraging to Tsukishima's self-esteem, but he nodded and said thank you anyways.

He could feel everyone's eyes on him. The sensation was uncomfortable and although Tsukishima would hide his anxiety behind distant politeness, there was nothing more he wanted to do except knit his fingers together for security. Unfortunately, he was on duty and that kind of thing wouldn't be acceptable -- especially in front of the King.

"Your Majesty," he greeted simply, bowing. It was primarily directed to the King, but he supposed it could interpreted as towards the Prince as well; but that wasn't his primary concern. "Tsukishima Kei, at your service."

"Excellent. Well, let's get this over with," the King nodded, and he straightened himself. "Tsukishima Kei, from this day on, you'll be responsible for the safety and security of Prince Kageyama Tobio of the Kingdom of Karasuno. You will act as his personal bodyguard and observe him at all necessary times, in order to ensure his well-being and health. Do you believe you can do this?"

 _No_ , he thought, dully, but it wasn’t really like he could tell that to the King of all people. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good. Kneel before the Prince, Tsukishima." He did, settling down to one knee before the Prince. It didn't even seem as if the Prince himself was paying attention; not that was exactly surprising. Of course. There was a reason people were trying to assassinate him, for being so single-minded. "Do you swear on your life to protect the Prince to the best of your ability at any and all costs?"

It was such an easy question. Loaded, but easy. The uncertainty and doubt began to swell up to the surface again, but he ignored it, and swallowed his insecurities. This was only a job, only an act, he could at least do that much -- after all, he's basically been doing it his whole life. "I swear on my life to protect the Prince to the best of my ability at any and all costs."

If anyone really thought about it, they might think that the life-dedication pledge that Tsukishima just made was a tiny bit creepy. Perhaps a little more so. Or maybe no one else would bat an eye at it, because it's the times, people just do this all the time to serve their monarchs, their life is less than theirs, and they're supposed to sacrifice themselves if necessary for the sake of their leader.

Thinking about how he was considered lesser than the Prince was, a twinge of irritation flicked with frustration in his stomach. But he shouldn't even bother, this was his job, he was going to get money for this, and he would continue to send it to his family as needed. He was a commoner compared to this great and mighty Prince -- eventually who would become King -- and there was nothing he could really do about it.

Meanwhile, Kageyama stood silently, watching the formal procession with vague interest. The guard was named Tsukishima. He looked around the Prince’s age, probably in his early 20s, with glasses and short blond hair. He spoke simply, answering the King’s words politely. He didn’t seem like an overly enthusiastic person. Well, that was good. He wasn’t sure if he could handle too much lively conversation.

“Good,” said the King to the new guard. “You may rise. Our adviser Takeda Ittetsu will be on his way to inform you of the Prince’s weekly schedule. For today, you will accompany him to his afternoon lessons, then supervise target practice on the grounds.”

Tsukishima stood once more as the King verbally allowed him to, and listened to the instructions. Weekly schedule, afternoon lessons, target practice.

They were already allowing him to have target practice outside? Did they want the Prince to die that badly? Was the King secretly a sadist and behind this entire assassination attempt herself? Because in Tsukishima's honest opinion, it didn't seem like a good idea, but he wasn't going to directly confront her, especially within moments of swearing his life to protect the Prince.

At those words, the Prince snapped into focus. For the first time in a week, he was going to get to arch? His eyes brightened and he turned to the King. “Is this true?” He asked, almost in disbelief.

“We figured it was time to give you some fresh air. You’ll be in the enclosed courtyard today.”

Finally, Kageyama was being allowed to practice again! His motivation to continue the day dramatically increased right there. “Thank you very much!” He said, a little too loudly, obviously excited. She nodded, giving him a begrudging smile.

“Yes, well. I have other business to attend to for today, so if you’ll excuse me.” The King gave the guard a polite bow, then exited the room, likely on the way to another important meeting. Other than a standard guard at the door, the two were now alone. Too preoccupied with his internal excitement, Kageyama barely noticed. He was going to get to arch! His fist clenched at his side in anticipation.

After the King left, Tsukishima bowed his head once more to the Prince. Formality was always in his best interest, whether he liked it or not. "Your Majesty," he greeted again, for lack of better words. Maybe if Tsukishima was lucky enough, he'd be taken out of commission on the first day of the job. He'd set a record, probably.

The Prince’s mind was full of racing thoughts - what was the wind resistance outside like? which bow would he use today? - and he almost didn’t notice that he was being spoken to. He wouldn’t have, if he hadn’t seen Tsukishima’s head bowed to him. When he was like that, they were almost the same height, Kageyama realized.

“Oh. Hey.” He responded. After a few seconds, he realized he wasn’t being polite - if the King had still been there, she would have slapped him on the arm as an indication. With anyone else, the Prince would’ve shrugged it off… but If he was gonna be around this guy a lot, they might as well start out on good terms.

Correcting himself, Kageyama faced the guard and nodded his head. “Naff...Nice to meet you,” he stumbled awkwardly. It felt weird to be so formal, especially with someone around his own age.

 _Naff...?_ This was the person who was going to eventually be the head the Kingdom of Karasuno. Incredible.

Tsukishima raised himself up once more, for probably the nth time that day. Such was the life of a knight. But he had to admit, the brief lack of formality jolted a sense of relief in him; despite preferring a strict business-like relationship, the ability to say what came to his mind would be nice once in a while. "You as well, Your Majesty." Throw in a Your Majesty here, a Your Majesty there, basically a Your Majesty everywhere in order to ensure that he couldn't be blamed for a lack of respect. Hopefully the advisor would show up soon so there wouldn't be more of whatever this awkward situation was.

Kageyama was relieved that the guard returned his sentiment. _Okay, good. Now what?_

“Uh…” He said, knowing that he should be saying something, but having no idea what to say. _Please take good care of me?_ No, that would be weird. Honestly, Kageyama didn’t even want to continue into a conversation. He never enjoyed small talk, seeing as he was never good at it.

Thankfully, their interaction was interrupted by a knock at the door. The guard at the end of the room opened it, briefly spoke with the man, then allowed him to pass. Kageyama recognized him as the adviser, a man older than him with short, dark brown hair and thick glasses. Adviser Takeda hurried into the room, approached the young adults, and bowed deeply.

“Please forgive me for being late!” He apologized. He seemed disheveled, like he had run to get there in time.

“It’s okay,” the Prince said, apathetic.

The adviser straightened up and smiled, relieved, then turned to the other man. “You must be Tsukishima! It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ve been told I was sent to review the weekly schedule with you. Let me, um…” He trailed off as he reached for his satchel, opening it and filing through the parchment inside. He continued to talk, but at this point Kageyama wasn’t listening, knowing that the words weren’t directed towards him. Instead, he let his mind wander to thoughts of the afternoon. The enclosed courtyard… it was smaller than his regular practicing space, but safer than being out in the open. He guessed that made sense, even though he didn’t like it. If he worked hard through afternoon lessons, maybe he could get out of them early.

Luckily, the adviser accompanied the two on the walk to the lesson rooms, so there was no need for Kageyama to speak. It was a relief to him. Takeda informed him that lessons would last for three hours, practice for two, and then the evening meal would be served.

“Oh! And I’ll come back to show you to your new quarters,” he said to Tsukishima. “You’ll be on the same floor as the Prince. The night guards take shifts to protect that floor, so you needn’t worry about that. I think you’ll find that your chambers are quite an upgrade from the average knight’s, haha. Lucky you!”

Tsukishima merely nodded along quietly as needed, and neither he nor the Prince spoke. The silence was somewhat of a relief, but Tsukishima knew that he would probably need to make an actual attempt sometime soon.

Once they reached the room, Takeda explained that the guard was to stand at the doorway. Kageyama wasted no time in sitting down with his mentor, wanting to finish as quickly as possible. The first hour was history, which didn’t require him to do much but sit and retain information; though he drifted off a couple of times, he took notes more intently than usual. The second was calligraphy, his most difficult subject. The Prince was lousy with the quill, but staggered on defiantly.

“You’re very focused today!” His mentor noted happily. In a joking tone, she asked, “Are they serving dinner early?”

“No,” he replied, eyes trained on the paper as he worked. “I go to the training grounds after this.”

“Really? So soon?” She asked, and he nodded. “You must be overjoyed!”

It didn’t take much for a small smile to grace his face, genuine and pure. He nodded again. “Yes.”

The observation of the lessons was pretty boring to Tsukishima, unsurprisingly. He stood in the doorway, permitting the ability to check the hallways and the lesson rooms simultaneously. He half listened to the conversation, which revealed unsurprisingly that the Prince was basically living solely for archery. Tsukishima didn't know why they'd need a leader like that.

After calligraphy, the Prince was allowed a small break to stretch. Being a lively woman, his mentor decided to strike up a conversation with the guard.

"Hello there!" Tsukishima glanced towards the voice, which came from the Prince's mentor. "I'm Prince Kageyama's mentor, Tachibana Sayuka. Nice to meet you!"

"Ah," he said, "Tsukishima Kei, kn-- the Prince's personal bodyguard. You, as well."

"You don't know the Prince that well yet, do you?" Tsukishima shook his head. "Right, of course not. Now, I've only known him for some months now, but he's a good and genuine person, once you get to know him. Please take care of him for all of us, okay?"

Why was she doing this? Tsukishima didn't understand why someone like her would show such compassion and caring for her pupil, especially a person who was as stoic and silent as the Prince. He guessed it was supposed to be some sort of encouragement, but it didn't really do that much to help. "Yes, ma'am."

It took another hour or so for the class to be finished. It was tedious, and it didn't seem as though the Prince was exactly engaged in his work, especially when it came to calligraphy. Resentment curled around his chest; the Prince was fortunate enough to be able to have proper schooling when most others would remain ignorant and uneducated for the rest of their lives.

When the lessons ended, the Prince stood from his seat and bowed to his teacher. “Thank you very much!” He said with as much passion as he had to the King before. She laughed.

“Of course. You have fun now!” She called after him, as he came to meet the guard at the door. He was built up with energy, and it clearly showed.

At the end of the class, the Prince immediately was filled with an energetic aura. It was so much different than how he had seemed before, Tsukishima thought, and apparently the reason was because he would be able to practice archery. Why was he so happy for that? It was just an activity, just a sport, after all.

“I’m finished,” said the Prince. “We can go.” With that, he exited the doors and started to make his way down the hall, not thinking to look if the guard was following. He was too preoccupied.

Tachibana waved to the guard, and he nodded his head to her before following after the Prince.

 

* * *

 

Moving and turning through the seemingly endless grand halls, Kageyama found his way to the enclosed courtyard. If Tsukishima's strides were any shorter, he might have had a more difficult time keeping up with the Prince has he hurried to the court yard. Thankfully, he was graced with long legs and therefore a longer pace, and he didn't have that much to worry about.

Kageyama’s heart was racing as he entered into daylight. The space was as small as he’d remembered it. High towers enclosed the square, guards standing protectively on each side with their own weapons poised to the outside. There were more than usual. Well, that made sense, he guessed.

Servants had already set out the Prince’s equipment, and he walked over to it. There were a wide variety of bows standing on the racks - all beautifully crafted, made in an array of shapes and types of wood. By far, this was his favorite thing about becoming nobility. He never found himself short of supplies; never needed to scavenge for sticks to make crude arrows from, or worry about splinters from faulty wood. Those days were behind him.

Still facing the gear, back to the entrance, he untied and removed his outer layer of dress. Mobility was restricted in it, and there was always the chance that he’d tear through the clothing. If he did that, the King would be furious. Upon observing this, Tsukishima rolled his eyes. _Is that actually necessary?_

He picked up a quiver of arrows, draping the shirt over the rack in replacement. Scanning the line of bows laid out on the equipment table, he decided to start with a simple longbow. There were also knives and swords laid out to practice throwing and sparring, but he wasn’t interested in those.

The Prince was excited to start, but knew that warming up was important. He placed the weapons of choice on the ground, then turned away from them. Halfway through stretching his arms, he realized that he wasn’t alone. He’d been so dead set on leaving lessons that he hadn’t even bothered to look back to see that the guard was with him. Surprise flickered across his face, but he kept silent. He didn’t know what to say. Was he supposed to say anything? This was uncomfortable. Kageyama turned away and continued to stretch.

 _At least he’s stretching,_ Tsukishima thought. It would reduce his likeliness to accidentally injure himself, which would make his job easier. The Prince faced towards him, and there was a brief flash of surprise across his expression. Tsukishima wanted to scoff. Did he really think he wouldn't come? It was his job. He was grateful when the Prince turned his attention away, finished his stretches, and take his bow.

It felt amazing to be holding a bow in his arms once again. Arm guard attached and stance proper, Kageyama raised the weapon to eye level, fingers curled around the fletching of the arrow. He took a deep breath, calm, and closed his eyes. The wind blew at a languid pace, stretching slightly to the east. He soaked in the way it felt on his skin as it moved through his surroundings. Wind was everything in this sport. If he didn’t respect its movements, it wouldn’t allow for a clear hit.

Eyes open now, he focused on the center of the target. Pulling back on the drawstring, he took a moment to aim accordingly, then shot. One after the other, he marked the target. Kageyama smiled briefly, an expression of pride, then moved on to the next target.

It was amazing how quickly the Prince could change. His silent awkwardness had dissipated into the air, and a confident, proud aura appeared in turn. His stance radiated pure excitement, and it somehow remained professional in the same way.

Tsukishima kept his distance; close enough to observe and be able to act if necessary, but he doubted it. The stationed guards had more than enough eyes, but his sword hung heavily at his side, anyways.

Within thirty seconds, the Prince had covered the bull's eye in the target with four arrows. Tsukishima blinked. The accuracy was incredible, as much as he would hate to admit it -- there was a reason that the King had chosen this particular guy to become the next ruler. His skills were genuine, there was no denying that. He honestly didn't see the appeal in the sport of archery, much rather preferring hand to hand combat himself, but it was obvious to anyone that it was the Prince's one and only true love.

At least there was something that the Prince had passion for.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello there!!! right now, this is chelsea speaking. this is going to be a multi-chap fic that's a collaboration with dorian!!!
> 
> since we are dorks, we roleplay. a lot. but this is our first rp that we've actually published together!! we're going to hopefully put up more of our stuff (for other fandoms) in the future, but we'll see. 
> 
> so in this au, royalty works in quite an interesting way for the kingdom of karasuno. people do not become royals due to bloodline, but instead through competitions where people who are around the ages of 13-20 compete to show off their skills to prove that they're capable of becoming the next king. the king chooses their successor and begins to train them. kageyama is an a+ archer despite being an idiot, so king madoka has to deal with quite the protege. 
> 
> for now, we hope you enjoy!! thank you for reading, and please leave some kudos/comments if you enjoyed it!! <3
> 
> (btw dorian says: lmao ye enjoy)


	2. ii. lessons learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama is not the best with words. Tsukishima doesn't find much to be worth the effort.
> 
> But there's always room to try something new.

The following week went by as usual for the Prince, other than the lingering presence of his new protector. Being as airheaded as he was, Kageyama sometimes forgot that Tsukishima was there; then he’d take a glance at the doorway, see his figure, and remember. The man became his shadow, as was the job of a bodyguard: standing on the sidelines, silent, prepared to step in if necessary. It was weird to get used to. Occasionally when they walked together, Kageyama would try making a comment to fill the silence (“It’s… cloudy today.”), but it never went further than that. He knew barely anything about the knight, other than his name. He didn’t think much about it.

For Tsukishima, following around the Prince constantly was a chore -- literally. What he had observed so far was the Prince basically only cared about sleeping, food, and, unsurprisingly, archery. He was an expert at memorization and terrible at absolutely at everything else. He demonstrated basically no leadership skills in the least, and showed a very simple-minded way of thinking, wanting to focus solely on one thing and one thing only. He followed his instincts, very similarly to an animal, and it was as if Tsukishima was taking care of a pet. It was tedious, and in a way… endearing. He loathed to admit it, but he was extremely fond of animals, and the way that the Prince acted had started to grow on him over the last week. But only just a tiny bit.

The Prince was not the best at communication, occasionally trying to make small talk about only the weather, and Tsukishima would indulge him when only absolutely necessary – but for the most part, the silence between them was uncomfortable, but not painfully so.

The King informed Kageyama that it would likely take a month for the talk of assassination to die down. Once it did, Tsukishima need only accompany him on events outside of the castle. That was good. Maybe Kageyama would get to practice out in the open soon, too. He spent most of his time staring out of windows intently, like a domestic cat desperate to hunt for field mice. This was how his days slowly passed.

Halfway through the week, though, there was a change in routine. Takeda led the two to a small room in a different wing than normal. When he opened the door for them, inside were two familiar faces - the daughter of the King, and her personal guard. The nobility was sat at a round table, turned in her chair to face the standing knight as the two chatted peacefully.

“Oh, it’s Yachi,” Kageyama said aloud, surprised. When he spoke, the two looked over, distracted from their conversation. The Lady smiled and waved to him, and he walked to meet them.

“Kageyama! Long time no see!”

“It’s nice to see you again,” the guard said, bowing her head to him.

“You too.” He replied with a bow, then turned to Yachi. “The King didn’t tell me you were back.” She’d been gone for a few weeks; he was used to seeing her at meals and tutoring sessions. Without her around, things had been more quiet.

“Ah, Mama’s been busy lately. I haven’t gotten the chance to see her myself, yet…” She laughed sheepishly, then suddenly clapped her hands together, excited. “Oh! But I wanted to show you what I brought back from Nekoma!”

Leaning down, she rummaged through a bag at her feet and pulled out an armful of rolled-up parchments, laying them carefully out on the table. The Prince took the seat next to her, unfolding a scroll curiously. “These are really interesting!” She said, continuing, “The kingdom’s had an influx of witchcraft recently, and their enforcement is having a hard time controlling it…”

Apparently, the Lady and the Prince were at least acquainted, and they began chatting easily about Nekoma; Tsukishima found this mildly surprising, the Prince still was not one for communication, but the Lady was talking fairly easily; it was interesting to watch, especially since he had heard she was a nervous person. Perhaps she wasn’t with people she trusted? Maybe they were more than acquaintances, then…

The notion that the Lady and the Prince were somehow maybe interested in each other in a romantic fashion struck him, and Tsukishima recoiled at the thought. Fortunately, he was interrupted by the Lady’s personal bodyguard, who had neared his position by the door.

“The Prince’s guard...Tsukishima, isn’t it?” Kiyoko smoothed back a lock of her hair as she bowed her head to him. She was meant to be stationed at the door regardless, and she was slightly curious at the sight of a newcomer. Takeda had mentioned him briefly, so she knew not to view him warily. “Shimizu Kiyoko. Nice to meet you.”

He nodded in response, bowing his head politely to her. She was technically his senior, after all. “Yes. Tsukishima Kei. Nice to meet you as well.” Tsukishima’s eyes flickered back to the pair at the table, and he remained quiet, unsure of what to say for conversation.

Kiyoko noticed that the younger guard seemed preoccupied with watching over his nobility; as well he should be. It had only been a couple of weeks since the attempt on the Prince’s life, after all. She and Yachi were both away from home when it had happened, but news traveled quickly and had made it to Nekoma in less than a day. Yachi was distraught when she heard, so much so that she even tried to cut their trip short to return to the castle. She had business left to be done, though, and Kiyoko calmly talked her out of the idea.

But she was glad that they were back home again. She knew that Yachi was relieved to see the Prince in one piece. It was probably why she was talking so freely with him now. Though she was a polite young woman, the Lady often had trouble opening up to others. The same could be said for the Prince as well - Kiyoko had known him ever since he’d taken the crown, and his quiet demeanor had barely changed. She wondered how his bodyguard was faring. It couldn’t hurt to ask him.

“How has it been so far?” She asked, taking her eyes from the nobility for a moment to address him once more. “Serving the prince.”

The question was straightforward, right to the point. She seemed to be like a pretty blunt person, but in a good way -- one who speaks the truth, and legitimately communicates with people. That was something that Tsukishima considered fairly important, to say in the least.

He thought about sugarcoating it, but she was a fellow bodyguard, she should understand, right? "He's a royal pain," Tsukishima said, dryly. "All he cares about is archery. He's bad at everything else. It's hard to believe that someone like him is going to be the next King."

Kiyoko couldn't help but smile wryly at such a blatantly honest opinion. It was a good thing that the guard spoke his mind, even if his thoughts were negative. It would've been worse if he had thought those things and then come up with a polite lie in response.

"Have you talked with him much?" She wondered.

He snorted at the question. He didn't mean any offense to the other in the least, but it just seemed humorous to him. "Having a conversation with that guy isn't easy." Watching the two nobles was almost unreal. "The Lady is one of the few who's apparently lucky enough to get more than two words out of him unless it's about archery."

"The same could be said for the Prince," Kiyoko noted. She looked out into the hall as she spoke, keeping up her duty by watching for suspicious activity. When she saw nothing, she continued.

"Lady Yachi is...an anxious person. She isn't usually so talkative with others. Actually, she had awful stomach pain the first time we met, worrying about how she would address me. Me, I was worried that someone was slowly poisoning her food." Kiyoko laughed a little at the memory. She turned back to watch over the nobles again.

"But...once you get to know someone, things can change. You learn things about them that you never would have understood before."

She eyed the guard again. "Lady Yachi isn't lucky. She just took that step. As did I with her."

Ah, so what he had heard previously regarding the Lady to be a somewhat nervous character was true. It was much different than the Prince, who merely preferred not to talk. He nodded along to Shimizu's words to show that he was paying attention respectfully, but what she was saying was clearly trying to get him to open up with the Prince -- which Tsukishima was still not entirely sure he wanted to do.

"Maybe for you," he said, polite, but still demonstrating his doubt. "That's not always the case."

“I suppose so,” she mused. She didn’t know very much about the Prince herself, after all. But looking at the way that he spoke with the Lady, she knew that he couldn’t have been a bad person. He wasn’t as enthusiastic as her about whatever she was saying, but he listened to her quietly, nodding and asking questions here and there. Oh, that reminded her.

“Lady Yachi tutors him often,” the guard said. “He hadn’t studied past elementary before coronation, and so he’s far behind nobles his age. At least, that’s what she’s told me.” She frowned. “I haven’t talked with him much, but… in my opinion, it isn’t a matter of him neglecting his position so much as… not understanding it. He needs guidance, and time.”

It wasn’t surprising to hear about the Prince’s lack of education, considering how he treated studying and the tutoring sessions. Tsukishima had, however, automatically assumed that he had a higher degree of education than others; a twinge of guilt for his thoughts earlier in the week wracked him, but he dismissed it. It wasn’t a huge deal, and it wasn’t like he had said it out loud, the Prince had no idea. It didn’t matter.

He sighed, almost in resignation at the other guard’s words. “So I’ve heard. His mentor essentially told me the same thing. I’m not sure if time will even help, though, honestly.”

This guard’s behavior was exceedingly pessimistic. This wasn’t a bad thing, Kiyoko observed - when a person’s expectations were lowered, it would be easier to impress them.  Hopefully, the relationship between the Prince and his protector would grow to benefit them both.

“We’ll see,” she responded simply. “For now, I need to meet with the adviser.” Lady Yachi was only under her watch outside of the castle grounds, after all. She bowed her head again to the other guard and stepped out of the room. “I wish you luck, Tsukishima.” Kiyoko gave him an encouraging smile before walking down the hall, parting ways. She decided that she’d keep tabs on him when she could.

 

* * *

 

 _It’s nice to see Yachi again,_ Kageyama thought. She was the only other noble around his age that visited the grounds regularly, and he liked being around her. That afternoon, he listened to her stories of Nekoma. She talked about the food she’d eaten, the cunning and friendly old King, and her favorite parts about the smaller villages. She mentioned that their Prince, nearing 30 years of age, was known for his swordsmanship.

“What’s that got to do with being a Prince?” He asked.

“Not a lot, I guess, but he likes it! He’s good, too. He even challenged Kiyoko to a match!”

“How’d she do?"

“He beat her 3 to 2 matches.” Leaning in with a smile and lowering her voice, she continued, “Don’t tell anybody, but I think Kiyoko let him win it.”

“Huh,” he said.

The nobles continued on for some bit, and Tsukishima didn't bother tuning into their conversation. When it was time for them to leave, the Lady noticed him and stuttered an introduction out, and Tsukishima returned the acknowledgement with a bow of respect. She radiated a genuine kindness from her being, Tsukishima thought about how much easier to build a relationship like Shimizu was talking about with someone like that. Instead, he was stuck with someone as simple-minded as the Prince.

Their night finished pleasantly enough, and the next day continued to follow suit. The servants around the castle were happy to see the Lady back, and so the people were in generally high spirits. Most of the day was fairly the same, Tsukishima having to stand around and guard while basically nothing happened except the Prince struggling with his lessons, and they passed as usual. When Kageyama went to target practice, though, something was different. His eyes glossed over the weapons laid out for him. Even though he always picked out a bow, every day the servants still laid out an arrangement of swords for him to choose from. Today, the Prince stood in front of the table, pensive. Idly, he ran his hand over the intricate wood carving of one in particular, eyebrows knit as he stared down at it. He was thinking.

 _This is new._ Tsukishima looked on, somewhat curious. Thinking back to Shimizu’s words yesterday, maybe he should actually try to make an effort to build a decent relationship with the Prince... but this was only a job. He shouldn't care so much. What was the point?

Regardless, he chose to approach the Prince and the table. "Are you going to try sparring today?"

“Oh,” said the Prince out of surprise, looking up and seeing the guard next to him. After a moment, he looked back down at the array of weapons, thinking out loud for the benefit of the man next to him.

“Well, uh. Yachi told me Nekoma’s Prince is good with swords. Aoba Jousai’s can fence, too. I’ve… never tried it before, though.”

"So you want to try to match them?" He guessed, and he almost had to hold back a sardonic chuckle. "You'd better start soon then, they've had a lot more practice than you. Or maybe," Tsukishima continued, half to himself and half to the Prince, "you're going to be a natural at swords too." That would definitely be a slap to the face for everyone who's been training so hard, if the Prince could defeat them without ever trying it before.

He highly doubted that provoking the Prince is what Shimizu meant in establishing communication, but well. At least they were talking now.

Kageyama nodded. "I know I can beat them at archery. I never needed to know how to spar before, though, so." If he lost to the other nobles, it wouldn't just be bad for him - it'd probably affect their view of Karasuno, too. The King would hate that. He didn't want to be on her bad side any more than he already was.

The Prince turned to his guard. He must have been really good at his job to be promoted to the Royal Guard, especially at his age. "Can you teach me?" He asked.

Tsukishima was, admittedly, taken aback by the Prince's request. He didn't seem suitable for such a task in his mind, but he never actually did when it came to anything, honestly -- it was primarily Yamaguchi's belief in him that kept him going, more than anything else. His skills with swords were only slightly above average, in his opinion. His only saving grace was that he was observant and a quick thinker in dire situations; such as someone attempting to assassinate the Prince.

"If you want me to," he shrugged. It's not like he had a choice, anyways. It wasn't as if he had to ask, he could just demand if he refused.

Kageyama nodded again. Having someone who had been trained in swords was helpful.

Looking back at the variety on the table, he frowned. There were so many kinds - long pointed rapiers, thicker blades, ones made of wood, other of metal - it was overwhelming. "I don't know where to start," he admitted.

"Wood," Tsukishima immediately replied. The thought of the Prince who's never tried anything sword-related swinging around a sharp blade was a terrifying thought. He picked up a wooden one, weighing it in his hand, and it felt decently balanced. It would suffice for him. "You're a beginner. You can't do actual blades yet."

The Prince's face twisted, insulted at the remark, but he knew that it was true so he couldn't rebuke it. "Okay," he complied, taking the sword from the knight's hands. Kageyama ran his thumb over the grip, seeing that Karasuno's insignia was carved into it. He brought it down to his side, then up so that the tip was skyward, getting used to the weight.

The change in the Prince's expression was probably the most extreme reaction that Tsukishima had ever elicited so far. It was entertaining, actually; he felt some sense of accomplishment.

When the Prince took the sword from him, though, he frowned, mildly irritated. He hadn't intended to choose the sword for the Prince, thinking instead that he would choose his own, but he supposed this was better. He picked up another one, and it felt about the same. It would do. He held it securely in his right hand, pointing it vaguely in the Prince's direction.

"What kind of stance do I make?" Kageyama wondered out loud - in archery it was a sideways plant perpendicular to the target, but it seemed like that wouldn't make sense in a sparring match.

"Spread your weight to balance it out, facing towards me. Point your dominant foot in my direction." Tsukishima's instructions were lacking, but he demonstrated it visually for him to see. The idea of being a teacher especially to someone as difficult to teach as the Prince had never been an appealing idea -- but since he was technically now in charge, the Prince would just have to deal with his way of explaining.

"Oh- okay." He followed his instruction, looking down and matching his feet to parallel Tsukishima's. This was the most he'd ever heard the guard talk before. It was strange, but it wasn't a bad thing - it was actually kind of nice. He could handle this kind of interaction, one that had a solid purpose to it. Facing the guard, he looked expectedly at him for more guidance.

"Okay, now hold your arm out and direct the weapon towards your opponent." Tsukishima demonstrated by making it more apparent, keeping it pointed clearly towards him. "Keeping your hold and stance firm is important."

Kageyama copied the movement, pointing his sword towards the guard's torso. He gripped the base tighter and straightened his posture a bit, determined to take in whatever he could learn from the former knight. "What's next? How do we start?"

Tsukishima glanced around, eyes finally landing on a practice dummy a bit aways in the distant. He nodded his head towards it. "Over here, it'll be better to use a target besides an actual person right now." He headed towards it, not really bothering to see if the Prince was following. Alright, Tsukishima had to just keep thinking about how his training went when he first began. "There a variety of different attacks. You can do them from the front, side, and others, but front is both offense and defense." He took his own stance and thrusted the sword forward into the dummy's chest, and then on its side to show his point.

"Ohh," said the Prince. As he watched, he thought about how he would block those attacks. "Wait," he said to the guard, then assumed the stance, sword at the ready. "Do that to me." He wanted to try defense on his own.

Tsukishima stared. He wanted to say no and refuse, but technically there was no reason not to -- save for the fact that the Prince had never tried defending himself with a sword before. "Fine."

He waited a moment, and thrusted the sword again to the Prince. There was force behind it, but no real intent to hurt, just to throw him off guard. It was a good way to gauge how quick he was to react.

Both hands at the grip, Kageyama used the blunt end of his sword to stop the force of the attack. It collided perpendicular to the guard's weapon, stopping it from reaching his torso - not that Tsukishima was intending to hurt him, anyway. He looked up. "Like that?"

The Prince reacted quickly, halting the attack with little trouble. He withdrew, shifting back into the basic stance. It was almost annoying how good he was with his instincts. "Yeah. Your turn now, try attacking me." He might as well, since he was progressing so quickly.

"Oh." He stared at the guard, trying to decide which angle to strike from. After a few moments, he stepped forward and swung the sword at Tsukishima's right side. Mimicking the mentor's movement, he didn't aim to wound him, just to practice.

It was easy to parry an attack like that, especially when it was so sloppy -- using two hands was better in cases like this which the Prince did naturally, but it was one of the worst angles to attack from. "Why did you choose there?"

 _What does he mean, 'why'?_ Kageyama pulled back from the stance and frowned. "...Because it was easy to move that way." If he had to think about why he chose it, that was the reasoning.

"But it's your non-dominant side, isn't it?" Tsukishima questioned, withdrawing. "Look, it'd be better to do it from your dominant side since you have the most control there. The power that will come from your swing will be natural." To show what he meant, he did an example by slowly pretending to go for the Prince's left side.

Seeing what he meant, it started to make sense. “Ohhh,” the Prince said. Moving away a bit, he planted his stance in front of the dummy, then practiced the move he’d just been shown. “Like that, then.”

* * *

 

The practice had gone fairly well, surprisingly enough. Tsukishima was a pessimist, yeah, but he had never expected to train the Prince of all people -- let alone have the patience for this. But the Prince had demonstrated a decent amount of determination when it came to learning this, despite his somewhat creepy love for archery; perhaps his nature was just that competitive if he decided to try after hearing about Nekoma's Prince.

Kageyama liked practice that day. It was difficult starting out, but Tsukishima turned out to be a good teacher. He wasn’t as nice as Ms. Tachibana, but that was good, because then Kageyama knew right away when he’d done something wrong. He learned the basics that day, having to be corrected on his stance every so often but otherwise picking up the subject quickly.

Regardless, it was time to bring him to dinner. The Prince was strangely enamored with food, always being quite excited when it was meal time -- Tsukishima didn't know if it was an accomplishment or not to be able to read some of the Prince's feelings now.

As they walked to the dining hall, Kageyama was thinking. Even though he hadn’t practiced archery at all that day, he was still happy. It was the most he’d ever heard Tsukishima talk before. He was firm, occasionally lost his patience, but otherwise seemed like an okay person. He had a nice voice, too. It was one that was easy to listen to; one Kageyama wouldn’t mind listening to more.

When they reached their destination, the Prince stopped. He didn’t want this to be the last time something like this happened.

Tsukishima stopped behind him. "...Your majesty?" He ventured, unsure if he was allowed to leave yet or not.

Kageyama turned around and faced Tsukishima. He had a determined look on his face.

“Thenk...thanks for today. Let’s do it tomorrow too.”

Tsukishima was not expecting the words that came out of the Prince's mouth -- in fact, it the last thing that he had expected.

They were awkward, but legitimate; Tsukishima doubted that the Prince could be anything but honest. Lying didn't seem to be his forte, but it didn't stop him from wondering exactly why the Prince would say something like that. He hadn’t thought that the practice was very enjoyable.

He didn't know how to feel about it. It wasn't a happy feeling necessarily, but it wasn't bad, either. It was neutral, maybe a bit positive, but he didn't want to hope -- he had learned a long time ago that there was no use in believing in such trivial things.. Regardless, he was apparently doing sword lessons again tomorrow.

Not waiting for the guard to respond, the Prince turned around swiftly and strided into the dining room. Tsukishima took that as his cue to leave, and, lost in thought, returned to his quarters for the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ey folks! this is dorian this time around!! [peace sign]
> 
> this chapter is the intro of yachi and kiyoko's role within the kingdom. as the chapters go on, more characters will be introduced - there are many plotlines in store, just you folks wait. hehe
> 
> definitely leave some kudos/comments if you like our work!! it makes both of our days, seriously <3  
> see you soon!


	3. iii. conversations continued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the bond grows between the Prince and his guard, the King prepares to share her news.

The following week of practice was exciting for the Prince. Swordsmanship proved to be a difficult sport, but that made him all the more determined to master it. He became impatient with each mistake, focused on repeating whatever he'd done wrong until he got it right. Under the leadership of the bodyguard, he slowly advanced in his knowledge of the sport.

Kageyama practiced basic offense with the target dummy, then defense by learning how to block the guard's moves. His allotted time for practice was now spent learning to spar for the first half, then picking up on the bow and arrow for the second. This was how the routine of the two men slowly fell into place.

In having a new interest tied to the bodyguard, Kageyama found himself paying more attention to the man. It was hard not to converse, especially when one was teaching the other. The Prince was interested in talking to him more, and he asked questions in between lessons as they made their way down the corridors.

The past several days led to increasing amounts of conversation with the Prince. The topics were mostly centered about how it was like for Tsukishima's brief time as a knight, and of course about fighting with a sword. Rather than becoming tedious as he had first expected, it had become more than bearable -- if perhaps maybe even enjoyable, just a bit. It seemed they had grown more comfortable to the point of talking, rather than Tsukishima merely following the Prince around as needed in order to do his job.

It was better than before, but he still hesitated. There was a sense of uncertainty that plagued him, a sense of dread hanging over his shoulder, but he ignored it for now. His endless rumination was going to be the death of him, Yamaguchi had jokingly predicted, but Tsukishima could see what they meant by that. All he did, after all, was think.

Today, he was taken from those idle thoughts as a question struck the Prince on their way to the grounds.

"Did you learn archery in your training?" He asked. Before coronation, Kageyama had never planned on becoming a knight, so be didn't know much about it.

"No, not really. It never appealed to me, but others chose it as a weapon rather than swords." He hadn't ever really tried archery, and he honestly didn't want to. It was clearly what the Prince was interested in, and Tsukishima personally didn't care.

"Hm," said the Prince. That was a shame. He was hoping to teach archery to the guard in turn, but if he wasn't interested, then that'd be pointless. Before, he would've just avoided anyone who didn't like the same things as him, but now was different. Noblemen had to take the opinions of others into consideration, and it was something that he was slowly learning how to do.

"I guess that makes sense. I never needed to know swords before, so I didn't do it. Kinda the same."

Tsukishima shrugged. "But you started because you wanted to match the Princes from Nekoma and Aoba Jousai, right?" That was different. Tsukishima didn't have someone he wanted to beat, nor was he that competitive in nature, anyways.

Kageyama nodded. "I need to get them to respect me. That's what the King said."

From what Tsukishima had heard about the two Princes, he doubted that was really possible. They both seemed full of themselves, vain, and overbearing.

The Prince looked down as he walked. Those words hung in the air as he thought a bit. Suddenly, he spoke again.

"Hey. Did you always know you wanted to be a knight?"

At the Prince's question, his eyes flickered to him. "Where'd that come from?" He asked, but answered anyways. "Not always. Decided to after my brother became one."

"Oh," he said. Following in the footsteps of an older brother, huh. Kageyama wondered what his family was like. "Your only sibling?"

He nodded. It was a surprise to himself that he was giving out such personal information rather freely, so he decided to change it up. "What about you? Always wanted to be the Prince?"

Kageyama shook his head firmly. “No. Never.”

When he was drafted into the competition, it was never his intention to try and win it. He was there because it was a legal obligation. Knowing that there were so many more people who wanted his position made guilt twist up in his stomach. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

Silence hung like a cape over his shoulders. It was fine on his own, but standing beside another made it uncomfortable. Kageyama felt a pressure to keep talking, and he did so awkwardly.

“Uh, had a friend who did, though,” he continued. “I worked for his dad, that’s how we met. He trained for it and everything. I went before him, and he didn’t get the chance to try.” Kageyama scratched the back of his neck. “I’m pretty sure he hates me now. Haven’t talked to him since.”

The knowledge that the Prince hadn't wanted to get to this position in the first place was interesting, but Tsukishima felt as if it had been obvious. He clearly didn't enjoy it beyond being able to do archery and have as much food as he wanted.

But his small tangent about this so-called "friend" -- which Tsukishima didn't know he could even have them -- sounded eerily familiar. "...What's his name?" He had a sneaking suspicion of who it could be, actually, and that in itself was off-putting.

By this point they’d reached the door that lead to the target grounds, and Kageyama stopped in front of it, looking at Tsukishima. Right, now that he thought about it… they were both around the same age, so they could’ve been in training together. That was, if his friend had actually managed to become a knight. His short stature held him back in comparison to other more suitable soldiers.

“Hinata Shouyou,” he said, plainly. “Do you know him?”

The image of a far too enthusiastic orange-haired boy waving around a sword came rushing back to him, and Tsukishima made a face. Of course these two pains in the ass would know each other. "I wish I didn't, all he ever did was give me a headache talking about how he was going to be the best knight in Karasuno."

Surprise crossed the Prince’s face as he walked through the doors, entering sunlight. “So he passed his training,” Kageyama said. “Is he any good?”

He shrugged, following after him as usual. "He was annoying to face in sparring."

Hearing that made Kageyama realize - he could spar against him now. His childhood friend, so eager to train and protect his kingdom… He must have been a strong soldier now. A surge of energy flowed through the Prince at the thought.

Turning to the guard again, this time with an intense look on his face, he asked, “Do you think I could go against him? How I am now.”

The Prince's expression was almost scary, the way he was looking so intensely at him. Tsukishima felt like a piece of meat, and he felt the urge to take a step back, but he fought it. "No. He's trained to be a knight, you just barely started to learn."

He expected that. Looking down at the table of swords, Kageyama picked up the one he’d been practicing with for the past week, and held it strongly at his side. He had a lot of work to be done before he’d be ready, but he was determined to see it through.

“I’ll keep, practicing, then.”

Without another word, he strided towards the targets.

* * *

A few days later, the Prince was called into the office of the King. It was early in the morning, just after breakfast, and he went followed by the guard who was to stand watch at the door while Kageyama entered. The King was sitting at her desk, reading through government documents. He met her with a bow.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” she replied. “There’s work to be done, so I’ll be brief. We’ve received an invitation from the kingdom of Aoba Jousai to attend this year’s Grand Ball.”

Kageyama perked up. Even commoners knew of this event - Aoba Jousai was famous through the country for its yearly festivities. Over the course of a week, nobility from all across the land gathered in good spirits to celebrate the peace between them with wine and dancing. Friendly competition spurred up often, too, making it very likely that there would be sparring matches. “When is it?” He asked.

“Less than a month,” she replied. “It’s important that Karasuno maintain an alliance with Aoba Jousai. I expect you to be on your best behavior when you speak with the Princess and the Prince. As such, your etiquette lessons will be rigorous over the course of the next few weeks.”

The Prince bit back a scowl. He hated studying manners. What did it matter which way he held his fork or how many times he bowed to others? Moreover, he’d already met the royalty of Aoba Jousai once before, and he hadn’t liked it. Princess Oikawa Tomoe was nice enough, but Prince Oikawa Tooru was an over-the-top kind of person, and it got on Kageyama’s nerves. Maybe things would be better, though, if he was willing to teach Kageyama to fence this time.

“Hitoka will be joining you as well; I’ve decided to stay behind at the castle this year. There are more important matters to see through. Which reminds me,” she continued, looking up from her parchment.

“I’ll be giving an address to the public the day after next. You will need to accompany me.”

At those words, he stilled. The last time he was out in public was when the attempt was made on his life. It had been less than a month, and she expected him to go out again?

“The people need to know that their Prince has not been shaken by the recent… incident.” She looked back down to her papers. “We are going to be more careful this time. The guards will be doubled, and they will protect us on our way to and from the speech. And, of course, you’re going to have Tsukishima with you.”

“May I make a request,” He said firmly more than asked.

“You may.”

“I want to bring my bow with me.”

“You may not,” she answered without hesitance.

He couldn’t help but raise his voice, exasperated. “But I--”

“It is unbecoming of nobility to bring violence into a place of peace.” She interrupted him with these firm words. “I chose you as my successor because I believed that you could hold a level head in the face of danger.” Her tone lowered. “I hope you will choose to prove me right.”

The Prince didn’t know what to say. This didn’t make any sense to him. How could he be expected to just stand there helplessly, when he had the full capacity to defend himself? He hated it. Standing before the King, his eyes met the floor as to not show her his anger. Not that she was looking. She picked up her quill, signing a piece of parchment.

There was a brief moment of silence before she glanced up at him. “You may go,” she said simply.

Kageyama bowed to her and walked out of the room. He couldn’t disguise the fact that he was upset, and anxiety picked away at him at the thought of leaving the castle without having a weapon at his side.

Tsukishima felt somewhat awkward, having to listen to the royals’ conversation like this. One might think that he would be used to it by now – after all, it had been a few weeks since he had started this routine – but he wasn’t sure he’d ever adjust to having to hear a more private conversation between the King and the Prince as a bodyguard.

He waited quietly outside of the door. The annual Grand Ball in Aoba Jousai, was it? It made more sense about why the Prince suddenly wanted to learn how to spar, now. He had heard about the celebration multiple times from Yamaguchi and Akiteru alike – even Hinata. They all talked about how amazing it must be, in a gathering with other royalty and nobility and witnessing the sparring matches. Yamaguchi had wanted the opportunity to meet more blacksmiths and see how different weapons were forged in the various kingdoms, while Akiteru and Hinata had blabbered nonstop about the chance to spar.

Tsukishima felt a fleeting sense of guilt curl around his shoulder like a scarf in the winter. He had never cared about such things, and here he was, being able to go to Aoba Jousai’s Grand Ball when so many others had wanted to go. It didn’t seem fair, but he was the last one to be complaining about that.

Lost in thought about the event, he was brought back to the situation when the Prince stepped out of the room. Once they were out of earshot from the King, he spoke.

“What, you’re not excited to go to Aoba Jousai’s Grand Ball?”

Kageyama looked at Tsukishima. He must not have heard the whole conversation. While walking further away from the King’s office, he shook his head. “It’s not that,” he said. “She wants me to go to a speech with her soon. Out in public again.”

"Ah, so it's the publicity you don't like then," he mused aloud, eyeing him from the side. "You do know that as King that you're going to be making a lot of those, right?"

“It’s not that!” Kageyama said again, though this time he snapped, stopping in the middle of the hallway. It wasn’t Tsukishima’s fault, and he knew that, but he was still angry - being told the obvious didn’t help.

“Someone could try to kill me again, and she won’t let me defend myself.” He grimaced as the words left him. “I can’t-- I don’t get it.”

This was the most of a reaction that Tsukishima had ever elicited from the Prince, he thought.

But the Prince's response to his ability to bring his weapon was disheartening. It wasn’t as if his doubt was unfounded, really, but still. Still. This was the guard’s job, wasn't it? He was being paid to do what the Prince was worrying about.

"Maybe that's because I'm here for that reason?" Tsukishima ventured, plainly. "I'm here as your bodyguard, nothing else."

The Prince stopped. If he was being honest, he hadn’t thought about that.

“Well yeah, but...” He started to say, standing up for himself, but trailed off. Kageyama looked down at his feet. “Yeah, but.” He mumbled. There was nothing he could say; his argument was out of an instinctive want, not rational thought. He couldn’t rebuke Tsukishima’s words. Dammit.

"But nothing," he said, continuing on even though the Prince had stopped. He didn't go too far ahead, as that would start to cancel out his prior argument. "I'm here to protect you. That's it."

Kageyama frowned again. They were rough words, but they were the truth. Even if they were the truth, he couldn’t stop himself from being unhappy. He followed behind the guard, silent and sullen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! it's dorian again [finger guns]
> 
> sorry for the delay on this chapter - we weren't completely sure how to format it in the context of the scenes, so because of that, this chapter is a little short. on the bright side, that means the next chapter will probably be long, haha. the address takes place next chapter, and new characters will be introduced, so please look forward to it!
> 
> again, thank you all so much for reading!! please leave kudos or comments if you enjoyed it! ☆


	4. iv. the address

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long dreaded day of the address has finally arrived. Kageyama, frankly, would rather not attend. For once, Tsukishima agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a warning that this chapter touches on anxiety a bit at the end, including mention of panic attack. 
> 
> quite a few new characters are introduced this chapter - we hope you enjoy! ☆

When the morning of the address came, the Prince was still in a foul mood. Target practice and sparring took his mind off of the impending doom for a while, but soon after it would wander to the event to come, and he would start radiating negativity in no time. The closer and closer the deadline grew, the more and more irritated and down the Prince seemed. Tsukishima had seen the Prince sullen and simply silent before, but not nearly anywhere to this level. If anything, it seemed like Tsukishima and the Prince had briefly swapped their outward personalities. It was a problem out of his control; it didn’t seem like something that could be helped.

Kageyama stood groggily in front of the vanity in his chambers, studying the royal clothing he’d been instructed to wear for the day. It was itchier than normal, and the sleeves poofed out too much for his liking. He felt ridiculous. The best situation to come from this day would be for him to show up, stand around, and go home without being killed. Great. He could handle that. He sat - collapsed, more like - on the side of his bed, and began to lace up his boots.

The day of the much dreaded address had come a lot sooner than Tsukishima had thought. Seeing as the Prince had been in a legitimately terrible mood, he decided not to push him as much as he normally would. It'd be better to focus this time on training himself in order to best protect the Prince, anyways. Sword tucked securely at his side, he arrived at the Prince's chambers, barely acknowledging the other guards, and knocked.

“Come in,” Kageyama replied, not bothering to look up from his boots.

Upon hearing the Prince's order, he opened the door. The Prince's room wasn't necessarily extravagant, but still far more luxurious than any commoner might own. Fitting for the room of a Prince, there were multiple things hinting at his love for archery lying around, as well as several books that he had never seen him touch.

"You seem like you're in a great mood, Your Majesty," he sarcastically greeted, looking him up and down, unimpressed. "Ready for the big day?"

"Mm," was his tired reply. He felt like just falling backwards onto the bed and going back to sleep, but the Prince knew that there would be dire repercussions for that. Instead, he finished tying his boots, pulled himself up, and let out a yawn.

"Aaah... Let's just go already. They're making me skip breakfast for this," he grumbled as he walked to the guard's side, eyes half-lidded.

"Like that's the most serious of your concerns," Tsukishima muttered underneath his breath, keeping the door open for him. "Come on, keep moving."

"Nnnnn," he groaned, complying and walking through the door. He trudged through the halls and out into sunlight, coming out of the castle grounds for the first time in almost a month. The adviser led the Prince and the guard to a horse-drawn carriage, which would bring them to and from the space of the address. The ride would take less than half of an hour each way, he said.

Kageyama stepped into the carriage. It was a simple arrangement, with two short rows of cushioned seats that faced each other. Two members of the Royal Guard were already seated in one row. The Prince nodded to them in greeting, but otherwise didn't give them much heed. He sat leaned back, arms crossed, staring out into the scenery that passed them. The carriage couldn't have been moving for more than a few minutes before he started to drift off

When Tsukishima stepped into the carriage that would carry them to the address, he was surprised to see that Tanaka and Nishinoya were sitting across from him. They were members of the Royal Guard who occasionally oversaw his training as a knight. Whoever had allowed that was an idiot, he thought. The two were obnoxious and hell-bent on pushing the young soldiers to their limits, exerting their rank. Training under their supervision grew tiresome quickly, and he avoided them when he could.

He didn't bother greeting them, and frankly, it was a miracle they hadn't blurted out something ridiculous; but maybe they knew better with the Prince being present? Regardless, he sat next to the Prince and already a few minutes had passed with him having fallen asleep. Tsukishima wanted to wake him so he would be subjected to his seniors' interrogation, but the Prince had looked tired...

"Sooooo, how's it going being His Majesty's personal bodyguard, huh?" Tanaka immediately began, as the Prince started snoring.

"Yeah, yeah, tell us all about it!" Nishinoya beamed, leaning in.

"None of your business," grumbled Tsukishima, hoping this ride would end sooner rather than later.

"Wait, what!? You can't say that to the guys who taught you! Show some respect to your seniors!" Tanaka noisily clamored, and Tsukishima looked at the Prince to see if he stirred. Tanaka seemed to realize how loud he was, and piped down.

Drifting between consciousness, the Prince mumbled a bit and licked his lips. His head was bent, his posture nearly collapsing in on himself. After a moment, he was snoring once again, breathing rhythmically. The older guard breathed a sigh of relief.

The stillness did not last for long, however. A few seconds passed between them before their carriage bumped over something in the road, causing the Prince to sway and end up leaning his head on Tsukishima's shoulder. Instead of shifting again like Tsukishima thought he would, he instead stayed where he was, cheek pressed against the cool metal armor. Great. The Prince definitely had a good sense of timing. He felt embarrassed, especially with the other two guards staring at him, and all he could think was that the Prince better not drool on him.

"Don't say anything," he warned Tanaka and Nishinoya. "Just let His Highness rest."

“Pshh. C’mon, ‘s fine if we’re quiet, right?” Tanaka said, his voice lowered to a whisper. The Prince continued to snore, and he grinned. “See, he’s totally asleep!”

“Hey, Tsukishima,” Nishinoya said as he leaned back in, overeager and curious. “Is he really as mean as he looks? Or is he just a quiet guy?”

“What was that thing they were callin’ him…” Tanaka wondered. As it came to him, he straightened up. “Oh- ‘Simple-minded Prince of the Court’! Never payin’ attention, is he?” Nishinoya nodded along, and then they both looked to Tsukishima expectantly.

He sighed, weighing his options. Gossip about the Prince or suffer in silence? Hmm.

"No, he isn't," he answered Nishinoya, trying not to think about the Prince's weight on his shoulder. "He rarely talks unless he's invested in the conversation."

"See, I knew it!" Tanaka exclaimed, self-satisfied. "Whenever I see him, he's always got this far-off look on his face like he's daydreaming about food or somethin'."

A laugh bubbled up in Nishinoya's throat, but he managed to keep his voice down. "Damn, how'd a guy like that end up becoming the Prince?"

"Beats me. Honestly, they shoulda made him into a knight, what with that aim of his."

"Yeah, but that can't be the only thing he's good at, right?" At this, Nishinoya turned to Tsukishima again. "...Right?" He asked.

Little did he know, Tanaka was exactly on the mark. That was literally all the Prince ever thought about.

"What, archery? Yeah, that's it." Tsukishima muttered, glancing out the window at the passing scenery. "He has no other redeeming qualities."

Nishinoya frowned. "Ouch. That makes you feel... kinda bad for the guy."

"Mm," Tanaka nodded in agreement. He was the kind of person who tried to find a bright side to things, so he ventured a little further. "Well... he can't be completely hopeless. There's gotta be _something_  about him you like.”

Tsukishima would shrug if he could, but he didn't want to risk waking up the Prince and having to deal with him being potentially sleep deprived and/or grumpy. He thought about the way that Kageyama glowed in pure happiness when arching or eating food, spacing out during his studies, and his overall quiet awkwardness.

Maybe there _was_ something and he just didn’t want to admit it, but that was a problem for the future him. He had enough on his plate for now. "...Not really. It's just a job."

Tanaka sighed. "Huh. You can't help that, then."

Nishinoya leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms in resignation. "Yeah. That sucks."

The two guards continued to ask about average things in their hushed tones - "Did you get to talk with Lady Yachi? She's so cute!" "I bet you've got a room to yerself, lucky bastard" - and the rest of the carriage ride quickly passed. He didn't bother listening to the rest of the chatter, besides hearing the name "Yachi," and he felt a sense of annoyance; they had just been talking about the Prince, and now they continued to talk about Royals. Is that all the Royal Guard did?

The Prince mumbled and groaned a bit in his sleep, but otherwise was stationary, his cheek pressed against Tsukishima's shoulder. He still hadn't woken up when the carriage came to a halt at the steps of the assembly hall. Tsukishima was grateful once the ride had ended, and he didn’t waste time in nudging the Prince.

"Hey, Your Majesty, wake up. We're here."  
"Mmh-" Kageyama stirred, and instinctively he yawned. "Wh..."

He blinked a couple of times, then realized what position he was in. He had been resting against his guard. The Prince sniffed, then straightened up, first looking at Tsukishima and then out the window. "We're... oh."

"Yeah, 'oh,'" Tsukishima teased him, finally moving away now that he was free. He stepped out of the carriage and waited for the Prince to follow.

Kageyama frowned at the tease, but it didn't really bother him. He wordlessly exited the carriage, and the other two guards followed suit, lined up behind him. The small party waited for other soldiers to make their way along the steps, clearing a path for them - hundreds of citizens were gathered in front of the building, clamoring and waiting for the King to make her speech. Once she began to climb the numerous steps, guards at her side, Kageyama's group began to move as well. The Prince mainly kept his eyes ahead, not wanting to meet the stares that were following him. It made him feel unsettled, especially with the fear of an assassin looming on his shoulders. He continued in this uneasy walk until he was nearly at the entrance.

"Tobio!"

And then he stopped.

Recognizing the voice, his eyes snapped to the direction it had come from. He saw some citizens making their way through the crowd - a woman of middle age with short black hair, followed by a young man and a younger girl. It was his mother and his siblings. He stopped walking.

"Tobio!" She called again, and now she was smiling, knowing that he had seen her. She waved her hand over her head, and instinctively he lifted his own in turn. He wanted to go to meet her, but he stopped himself. He needed permission first.

"Your Majesty!" The Prince called loudly to the King. Confused and a touch incredulous, she slowly turned to look at him.

"My family is here. May I speak with them!"

Her guards looked at each other, and then to her. Her mouth hung open a bit, but she quickly composed herself.

"... You may do so. Be brief."

She'd answered in that way as to not cause a scene. Without another word, she turned back and finished the steps, entering the giant doors to the assembly hall.

A rush of emotion went through Kageyama. He looked to his bodyguard, then swung his hand forward, indicating that he should lead him to his mother.

According to what Tsukishima had just witnessed, the Prince’s family was responsible for derailing them from their destination. Frankly, the idea of the Prince having a family seemed strange to him, but he blindly followed the general direction that he was directed towards. Hopefully the Prince would take the lead shortly; it wasn’t as if he knew who they were.

Striding forward, the Prince reached his family in little time. Other citizens had parted the way, and a murmur went through the crowd, but he easily ignored it. Hearing the laughter from his family made it easy.

"Oh, Tobio, look at you!" His mother exclaimed, taken aback at the sight of her son. His youngest sister went running to him and hugged him, her head barely at his chest. He hugged her back. She'd gotten taller since he'd last seen her.

"We're sorry to keep you from the address," his brother said sheepishly, standing beside their mother. Kageyama shook his head.

"Don’t be. I'm glad to see you again," he said, and he was - he couldn't keep the smile from his face, small though it might have been.

"We've been trying to come and visit you, especially after... you know. They can't seem to find time for us - I'm sure they must be keeping you busy." She smiled, then looked behind him at the guard accompanying him, somewhat astonished. "They even have someone to follow you around!"

"Oh," Kageyama said, realizing who she was talking about. He looked back, then at his family. "This is Tsukishima," he said, introducing the guard. His sister looked up at the man curiously from her spot.

A family reunion starring the Prince was something that Tsukishima never thought he would bear witness to, nevertheless barely a month into knowing each other. He stood somewhat awkwardly behind the Prince, keeping a careful eye on the crowd around them, in order to ensure his safety. Being this far away from the others and so close to people who could attempt to assassinate the Prince was high risk, and he needed to keep his guard up.

He didn't expect to be drawn into this conversation, though. Tsukishima bowed at a slight angle in greeting to the woman without saying anything, remaining focused on his duty.

Not paying much attention to the stranger, his younger sister didn’t let silence last long. She seldom did, as all of the family members knew. “Tobio, these’re the clothes they make you wear?” She asked, taking a step back to look him up and down. Pulling at a ruffle on his shoulder, she grinned, amused. “You look so weird!”

“You do,” his brother said, covering his mouth as he snickered. “It doesn’t suit you at all.”

Kageyama huffed, though there was no real anger to it. “It’s not like I picked them out myself!”

“Well, _I_  think you look nice,” said his mother, stepping forward to ruffle his hair. She looked at him proudly, though there was a hint of sadness to it. "...We shouldn't keep you any longer. Today's an important day, after all."

Kageyama nodded, then took a glance around. People were staring, but he didn't see any weapons or anything that stood out. Still, he had to be careful.

"I’m sorry to go so quickly. We'll meet again soon."

"Of course we will!” His sister piped up. “I’m comin’ to the castle first chance I get!"

Kageyama smiled again, then turned to his bodyguard. "Sorry. Let's go." With that, he turned to walk back to the entrance, staying close to the knight's side. His family called their goodbyes to him as his figure grew farther away.

"You have a sister?" Tsukishima asked, mildly curious as they walked back towards where the address would be. "You don't seem like the big brother type."

Kageyama nodded. "A brother, too." He was surprised that Tsukishima had asked, but didn't question it. Though at the next remark, his eyebrows furrowed, unsure if he should take it as an insult. "...What's that supposed to mean?"

Tsukishima vaguely gestured at the Prince as they walked. "You're not that brotherly." He was using Akiteru as a reference which is the only thing he really knew, but the Prince hardly seemed like someone who would play with little kids or babysit them.

That comment made the Prince frown further. He didn't talk about his family much, but that didn't mean he didn't care for them. In fact, one of the only good things about becoming a Royal was being able to raise the status of his kin. Now they lived comfortably, compared to before. He was grateful for it.

"I take care of my family," he said, serious but simple. "I always have."

The defensiveness of the statement was something new. Apparently the Prince did care for something else besides archery -- not that he would be telling Nishinoya or Tanaka that anytime soon.

"I never said you didn't," the guard countered, which was technically true. He had never explicitly said anything of the sort.

Kageyama looked to Tsukishima now. He stared at the guard, trying to decide if he should tell him information that he considered to be personal. Could he trust Tsukishima with it? Did the other man even want to know?

"You know, before this..." He started, unsure. "Before they crowned me, I-"

"Kageyama."

He looked towards the sudden voice, and realized that they'd almost walked right into the King. Her nose was turned up at him. That wasn't good.

"We are getting into places," she told him, giving him a look that made him know she was unhappy with the previous interruption. He simply nodded, clammed up, and proceeded to follow through the hall. Hopefully this would be done quickly.

…

When the Prince started speaking this time, he sounded legitimately serious. There was a difference between the typical behavior of the Prince and then dealing with something that was considered important.

But when he was interrupted and forced to follow the King, Tsukishima found himself wanting to know just exactly what he was going to say. Maybe if it came to it, he'd ask him later, but for now, he stayed not too far behind as they headed down the corridor.

\--

The address was straightforward. The King, along with her royal adviser and esteemed members of the government, conducted a speech about the current affairs of the kingdom of Karasuno. Throughout the past month, the people had been peaceful, but tense. The attempt on the Prince's life had lead to a stricter enforcement of the law, making crime rates plummet. The perpetrator hadn’t been caught, but there was a hefty reward for anyone who could offer information about the person. So far, no news had been offered.

In her address, she also discussed things like the success rate of crops throughout the past seasons. It was spring now, soon moving into summer, and the rainy season had been good to the spacious land. During her speech, the citizens had no reason to protest any of her words, luckily. The people weren't joyous, but they weren't upset, either. Things are progressing steadily in the kingdom, and there was little room for complaint.

The address was lengthy, but all of the information mentioned was important. The King knew how to make a speech updating the rest of the Kingdom of things were currently, blunt in a way not unsimilar to the Prince, but with tact. No wonder she was often upset with him.

Standing around like this was reminiscent of how the first few weeks in particular were with having to watch the Prince, but now that he was out in public for the first time since that assassination attempt, Tsukishima needed to remain attentive to every single detail. It was doubtful that someone would try to attack him so soon, but it was still feasible, and he would not allow such a thing to happen.

The Prince stood at attention for the duration of the address. Having slept on the ride over, he was alert now, and didn't drift off once. This was partly due to the knowledge that his family was in the crowd. Seeing them had made him happy. He was determined to make time to see them again.

A couple of times during the speech, Kageyama would take a glance over at Tsukishima. Was this what every day felt like for him, standing at attention for hours at a time? It must have been really boring. Well, now they were sparring every day, so maybe that made it more interesting for him? Kageyama didn't know. He briefly wondered how the guard felt about him. Disinterested, probably. The Prince didn't know exactly why, but that made him kind of... upset. He quickly moved on from it, not wanting to linger on that thought.

Eventually, the King gave her closing words, and applause rose from the assembly hall. As they descended the steps from the platform they'd been standing on, Kageyama felt relief. "It's over," he said aloud, half to the guard and half to himself.

When the address finally came to an end, the Prince was one of the first people stepping down and back into the building. Tsukishima followed him, a sense of relief for being back inside a closed space. He couldn't completely lower his guard, of course, but he didn't need to be so tense, either. "Not as bad as you thought it was going to be?"

“Mm,” Kageyama replied, “It wasn’t bad.” Still, not having a bow at his side was uncomfortable. A little restless, his hand clenched and unclenched, but he sighed to collect himself. He had to remind himself that his guard was there for a reason - to protect him. Putting his faith in another person was difficult, but the Prince had to try.

He watched as the King made pleasantries with some of the officials, though didn’t pay attention to their words. He turned towards Tsukishima a bit. “I’ll stay close to you this time. When we’re leaving.”

The Prince's body language demonstrated a great deal of nervousness. He appeared to be openly unsettled, somewhat obvious with the movement of his hand. Tsukishima felt the need to do _something_ , but there really wasn't that much that he could do. Instead, he remained close to him, as if his presence was supposed to be reassuring -- which was bullshit, really, but someone may argue that it was better than nothing.

"That'll make my job easier," he simply said, standing still. He thought about asking the Prince to continue with what he was saying prior to the beginning of the address, but the gap of time was somewhat awkward, so he remained silent.

Kageyama nodded, and a silence fell between them while he thought. He would’ve liked to be with his family for the entire day; he hadn’t been back to his home village since the coronation. Just to be able to spend an average day with them would be nice. Yuuko, his sister, always liked coming with him to the market on errands. She even knew how to haggle with the merchants a little, he remembered. The thought made him smile, but it hurt. He missed seeing them. And now he was barely allowed outside the castle as it was. This was the first time in a month.

It occurred to him then that it might have been the same for Tsukishima, too. For about a month, the two of them had shared almost the exact same schedule. If this was Kageyama’s first time leaving the grounds in a while, then…

“Is this your first time outside the castle since you got here?” He asked. Kageyama usually didn’t see the guard in the mornings and evenings, so he wasn’t completely sure.

The sudden question startled him. Why the Prince was asking about Tsukishima's personal life right now, he'd never understand. It was almost uncomfortable how much he was telling the Prince when they weren't even close; he rarely liked sharing such information, but there was something about the Prince's air of loneliness that made it hard to say no. "No, I go into the city frequently."

“Oh,” he said, and then lost himself in thought again. The city, huh. Kageyama came from a smaller village, so he hadn’t been there often. He never liked bustling places much, anyway. Still, he couldn’t help but feel jealous, kind of. To be able to come and go from the castle easily… he wished he had that.

Well, it wasn’t going to do any good to just stand around pitying himself. For now, the Prince had to focus on the present. He was going to make it back to the castle unscathed, whether someone lied in wait for him or not.

When the officials were done speaking to the King, they came to greet the Prince, bowing to him and making polite and pointless conversation. He responded as best he could, uncomfortable with the attention. Tsukishima waited patiently at his side. It was obvious how uneasy the royal was, seeing it clearly painted on his expression of how much he wanted it over with. He looked like a trapped animal, but there was nothing that Tsukishima could do about it. His job was to be a bodyguard, and he guessed that potential harassment could technically count, but it was too late to step in now.

Luckily, it didn’t take long before a soldier came and informed them that the path was clear for them to exit the building. It was time, at long last, to return back to the castle. Tsukishima was sure that being physically on the way home might reassure the Prince's nerves, therefore reducing the stress they were both feeling at the moment. They fell in line behind the King, at the near-front of the precession.

As they walked out of the grand doors and into the sunlight of mid-day, Kageyama stepped closer to his guard, nearly bumping into his shoulder, feeling nervousness prick at him once more. He stared straight ahead, as if doing so would help him get back to the carriage faster. This only served to further show his complete discomfort and vulnerability at the moment. Tsukishima didn't know what else to do besides stay by his side, so that was what he did.

The next thing he knew, the sound of the metal tip of an arrow clanked loudly against his armor.

It happened before they could register it completely. Reflexes as good as they might’ve been, Kageyama still didn’t understand what was happening until he heard it. He knew that sound. Something had come straight for him, ripping the air and colliding with the metal of the guard’s armor. It was the sound of an arrow. But this time, Kageyama was on the receiving end of it.

The protection of the armor ensured that Tsukishima himself wasn't injured, but the surprise caused him to stumble. There were more whooshing noises in the air, signaling that the attacker hadn't yet given up.

"Get the Prince to the carriage!" He hissed, and Tanaka and Nishinoya immediately flanked the Prince, hurrying him to safety. At least they were capable of doing their jobs when it was necessary. Shouts and screams of panic filled the air, there were people howling in fear and concern for their safety. At the moment, he wasn't too worried about the King -- she had her own bodyguard. The Prince, on the other hand, was solely his responsibility.

Before the Prince knew it, he was being hurriedly pushed to safety. Ducking his head, he stared at the ground that blurred past his feet as he ran. He could hear the sound of more arrows flying overhead.

“Tsukishima!” Tanaka yelled, holding the door out for his fellow guard while Nishinoya continued to shield the Prince. Tsukishima hurried after the group, nearly hurling himself into the carriage. Once he’d made it inside, Tanaka slammed the door shut and the vehicle came to life, horses galloping as fast as the driver could command. An arrow shot the car, but it merely made a dent in the outer shell - they were safe from harm inside.

"Fuck," Tsukishima swore, seeing as that was a near perfect summary of his feelings at that moment. That had been far too close for his liking. " _Fuck._ "

The adrenaline was still rushing in the guard’s body. The sound of the arrow clinking harshly against his armor and bouncing off it sent him in an organized panic, as chaos had descended around them. The carriage was now moving and the sound of arrows hitting the steel stopped, fading away into the distance, and Tsukishima could hear his heart beating rapidly.

Kageyama sat still, eyes owlishly wide. He hadn’t cried out or swore - in fact, he was breathing so heavily that he wasn’t sure he could speak. His heart was pounding in his ears. It was hard to think. The arrow had hit Tsukishima. Was he all right? Kageyama had enough sense to look at him. No, he was in armor, so it bounced off. That made sense.

He sat in stunned silence, a clamor all around him. There had been another attempt on his life.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Tsukishima asked urgently, trying to steady his breathing. No one in the carriage at the moment seemed visibly hurt, thankfully, but the Prince was stuck in pure shock. His racing mind was settling.

Kageyama was still able to register sound around him. Tsukishima asked him a question. He had enough sense to nod, and his mouth opened as he willed himself to speak.

“A-... Are you.” It came out as more of a statement than anything, stuttered and low. It was all he could manage at the moment, but he was concerned for the guard. He wasn’t asking out of politeness; he genuinely wanted to know.

The Prince didn't seem to be physically harmed, which was a good thing, but Tsukishima wasn't entirely confident about how his emotional stability was fairing. He couldn't imagine previously what it was like to have an attempt on your life before becoming a bodyguard -- but now that he had just witnessed it personally, Tsukishima found himself even further from understanding what the feeling must be like, despite being the one who had taken the blow. But he had been wearing a suit of armor, thankfully; if not, he was sure there would be an arrow lodged deeply into the muscles of his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Tsukishima said, as an attempt to reassure the Prince. He wasn't entirely certain on why he found himself in this position, but the paleness shrouding his skin and his shaking voice were dead giveaways of how in shock the Prince was -- which really wasn't good. Although he wasn't entirely familiar with how it felt to almost be killed, he knew about anxiety and panic attacks. This wasn't entirely the same, but it was close enough.

"Your Highness. Can you breathe deeply in and out?" He asked. Hopefully it would be at least of some help.

It took hearing those words for Kageyama to realize how fast he was breathing. He shut his eyes tightly, concentrated, and breathed in deeply. When he released it, he found that it helped him calm down, just a little. He managed a couple more, and could feel more clearly that his hands were shaking. His fingers gripped the fabric at his sides, trying to steady himself.

“It h… happened again,” he said in between breaths. He gulped. “But I-I’m… here.” Words fell brokenly from his mouth, trying to piece together what had happened.

Tsukishima had no idea what would help the Prince, right now. He hadn't the slightest of what way to comfort him, whether physical, verbal, or anything else -- verbal was showing some sign of success at the moment, so he supposed he would stick with that.

"You're okay. You're alive right now," he told him, firmly. "Nobody was hurt. You're here. You're okay."

He nodded to Tsukishima’s words, though he couldn’t look up at the moment. His breathing began to gradually steady.

“I’m…” He said, trying his hardest to focus on breathing. Slowly, his pulse began to calm. Slowly, slowly. 

“We’re… okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ey folks, dorian again. as I'm typing, chelsea is asleep in my bed, and she looks super cute ♡ we're both on winter break right now, so we finally have a month off of college! long distance has been tough, but I love every minute we get together.
> 
> anyway, off of the sappy shit, lol. this chapter was really fun to write! there's a loooot more in store, so I hope everyone's prepared. and yes, the perpetrator is a canon character in the story. does anyone have guesses as to who it is~?
> 
> as always, please leave kudos or comments if you enjoyed! see you all soon!


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